Numerous devices, including chiropractic, osteopatic, obstetrical, delivery, x-ray, operating and embalming tables, which suspend or position a patient in a particular way for some special purpose, are known in the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 4, 292,962 (1981) to Krause presents an apparatus for effecting postural treatment of humans in which the patent, while resting face down on a pivoting platform, can vary the position of his arms, adjust his center of gravity while in suspension and, thereby, affect his posture upon the table.
U.S. Pat. No. 3, 568, 669 (1971) to Stites discloses a posture board wherein the patient is rotated 180 degrees from an initial upright position on his back to one of complete inversion, hanging by the ankles. With the body hanging freely, normal gravitational pull is reversed thus causing a therapeutic effect on bone structure, spinal column, muscles, internal organs and body fluids.
U.S. Pat. No. 3, 685,511 (1972) to Alvarez describes an apparatus which stretches the backbone of a patient while simultaneously providing beneficial massage to the patient's body.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,081,085 (1963) to DeGirolamo similarly shows a health table intended to promote proper posture, accomplished through combined flexing and stretching of the back and spine of the patient while supported on the posture board.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,681 (1978) to Shanley similarly discloses a tilting traction apparatus where the patient, again lying on his back, is rotated about a pivot point to treat back injury or postural misalignment.
In a broader sense, the general principles of flexion, rotation and distraction of the spine are well known and have been effected in various strap and/or harness arrangements, alone or in combination with rotating-pivot type tables as described above. Examples thereof include U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,665 (1980) to Burton, and numerous products illustrated in the 1951 "Tables by Tower" catalog.
A tiltable table now offered to chiropractors is the so-called auto-track table sold by the Chattanooga corporation.
The related foreign references known to the inventor are French Pat. No. 1,291,572 (1962) to Cassin and Swedish Pat. No. 171,985 (1954) to Tyskland.
None of the above references define a table capable of pre-setting a patient's position prior to lift and of dynamically lifting the patient from the ground, selectively changing angles of flexion and extension of a patient's upper torso relative to his lower torso while effecting a change of the overall position of the patient relative to the gravity vector. The present invention particularly provides means for changing the degree of distraction of the spine. It will, therefore, be seen that the prior art does not address or otherwise consider many of the problems solved, and advantages achieved, by the Applicant's invention herein.